JOHN LENNON EDUCATIONAL BUS TO VISIT UCO AND ACM@UCO CAMPUSES FOR TOURS AND MORE

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will roll into the Oklahoma City metro Feb. 18-22 for a series of activities at the University of Central Oklahoma’s Edmond campus and the university’s Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM@UCO) in Bricktown.

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility. The bus is designed to provide students, their schools and communities with performances, tours, studio sessions, recordings and other educational opportunities.

The bus will be open to the public for tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 20 at Broncho Lake, just to the north of the Nigh University Center, on the UCO main campus in Edmond; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 21, at the ACM@UCO in the parking lot north of the building off Sheridan and Oklahoma Avenue.

On Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 18-19, ACM@UCO students will work with the engineers on board the bus to record a version of “Happy Birthday” for Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow, whose 80th birthday coincides with the visit. Students along with members of The Flaming Lips and Richard Fortus, guitarist for Guns N’ Roses in town for an ACM@UCO master class, will contribute sound snippets of what “peace” sounds like to them for John Lennon Educations Tour Bus project.

The visit will wrap up at 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22 with a live streaming event from the bus featuring video highlights from the week with featured guests Fortus and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips at www.lennonbus.org.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity for our students and the community to experience the creation of music while celebrating the spirit of one of the world’s most influential musicians,” said Scott Booker, ACM@UCO CEO.

Since 1998, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus has provided free, hands-on programs to millions of young people throughout the U.S. and Canada. Working together with educators and some of the biggest names in music, the Lennon Bus encourages students to play music, write songs, shoot digital photos, engineer recording sessions and produce video projects using the latest audio, video, still camera and live sound equipment.

The visit to UCO and the ACM@UCO is sponsored by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

Based on the successful model from the original ACM in Guilford, England, the ACM@UCO is an innovative music program unlike any other in the U.S., offering an industry-based, “real world” educational experience for those interested in a career in contemporary music.

From its location in downtown Oklahoma City’s Bricktown district, the ACM@UCO offers two-year associate degree programs in bass, drums, guitar, keyboard, music business, music production and vocals, with the option to pursue a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree.

Cutline: The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will visit the University of Central Oklahoma Edmond campus on Feb. 20 and the university’s Academy of Contemporary Music in Bricktown on Feb. 21. The bus will be open to the public for tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.